Renewables & Modern Energy Solutions

Background

The Czech Republic is heavily dependent on fossil fuels. The government has not yet decided on a date for phasing out coal. The expansion of nuclear power remains at the centre of the energy policy debate, while renewable energies are viewed critically. The Czech Republic has already exceeded its target for the expansion of renewable energy by 2020, but the new targets are unambitious and do not reflect the latest technical and economic developments. The project aimed to improve the national climate strategy and create the conditions for more ambitious targets.

Project

The project combined political and public measures: Firstly, the project addressed the Czech government and policy makers and promoted renewable energy and modern energy solutions through studies and analyses. Secondly, the project provided municipalities with best practices developed in other countries as part of municipal energy projects. Thirdly, examples of modern energy solutions for businesses and households that offer convincing benefits were presented to raise awareness among the population. At the same time, the opportunities and potential of renewable energies were discussed with the media to inform the public.

The project has used various measures to encourage the public and local decision-makers in the Czech Republic to rethink renewable energies. To this end, the potential of climate-friendly solutions was emphasised and the fact that it makes sense and is possible to only rely on fossil fuels to a limited extent. This motivated decision-makers in the Czech Republic to increase the share of renewable energy in the energy mix and ultimately replace all fossil fuels.

Results

• The project has contributed to a change in the attitude of the Ministry of Industry and Trade towards auction support for photovoltaics.
• The project assisted in the processing of changes to the modalities of the modernisation fund, which includes photovoltaic projects.
• The project has prepared a study demonstrating the benefits of renewable energy development in terms of savings in the economic impact of negative externalities. The material will be used in the update of the Czech NECP.